Memories
by LeoAngel24
Summary: AU- While clearing through some old boxes Angel find some interesting photos that bring up memories of his lost love. But will that love stay lost for long?
1. Chapter 1

Authors note: this is a short story that I'm writing for my english class so any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated! If you like it and want to know what happens next then please tell me and I'll carry it on. :)

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Memories

His hand slid up and down the worn wooden panelling searching for the switch. He felt the plastic under his fingers, flicked it and found himself illuminated in light. Piles of boxes were spread out before him. He sighed. Why had he had the sudden urge to clean out the attic? This is what happens when you get a day off work and get bored. He started moving the boxes downstairs into his living room. Over the two and a half years he had lived in the small house a thin line of dust had gathered on top. Once all the boxes were down he began the arduous task of sorting through them. He scratched his head, took a sip of his coffee then got to work.

A couple of hours later he was down to the last box. He pulled it towards him and turned it round looking for some sort of label or anything that would give him a hint at what wonders waited inside. "High School mementos" was written on the side in his handwriting. He took the lid off the box and peered inside.

Upon looking in the box he was greeted by a wave of memories of his school years. His football jersey was right on top neatly folded and proudly displaying his school colours. He picked it up out the box and smiled remembering the years he spent on that playing field. All the wins, all the losses, the time he'd been tackled by the other team and badly sprained his ankle. He placed the shirt on the floor and went back to the box. The next thing he pulled out was his yearbook. He quickly flipped through, reading inscriptions, chuckling at old pictures and wondering if anyone had gone and done what they wanted to in life. While he was closing it he noticed something inscribed on the inside cover. As he read it he got a lump in his throat.

"There is only one happiness in life - to love and to be loved.  
Love from you know who."

And he did know who wrote that. But he had tried to forget about her and the pain of losing her. So he did what he always did, he pushed the bad memories away and focused his mind on something else. In this case it was the remaining contents of the box. Over the years people had called him closed off, distance, even slightly emotionless but people who really knew him just knew that that was his way of dealing with pain.

Later the box was nearly empty and he was almost ready to call it a day and watch some TV. He reached into the box and pulled out the only remaining item; a photo album. He threw the now empty box in the pile with the others and sat down to inspect the album. It was small, light blue and had the word memories written on the front. When he opened it up and saw what it was an album of he had to force back the tears that were threatening to fall. He had forgotten that he had even put it in a box. Then he remembered that that was all part of his pushing painful memories away somewhere that they can't be seen.

Before he could stop himself he was slowly looking through all the photos, his eyes soaking up every last detail. All the photos were of him and her, together, happy, in love. Some were playful, others romantic but each of them were reminders of what they had had together. Soon he was at the last photo. It was the last photo they had taken together. He paid no attention to his own slightly younger face smiling back at him. The younger him could not divert his attention no matter how good he looked in his suit. He was instead captivated by the beauty that he had his arms wrapped around. Her hazel-green eyes sparkled in the light and her beautiful smile made her face look even more youthful. Her long blonde locks framed her face perfectly and the pale pink of her dress showed off her sun kissed skin.

He could remember that night as if it were yesterday. The lights, the music, the dancing, it was all a distraction from what they knew was coming right around the corner. He held her in his arms that night and just danced with her, not caring what the future held and instead just focusing on that moment. That night, their prom, would forever be a happy yet painful memory for him. At the time they were young and naïve and believed their love could make it. Now he knew that that only ever happened in fairy tales. In real life something almost always gets in the way. In their case it had been simply been their futures.

The tears that had been threatening to fall from the moment that he had opened the album finally escaped. He quickly and quite roughly rubbed them away. He was not the kind of man that let his emotions get the better of him like that. He fell back on his couch still staring at the now closed album in his hand. What was he supposed to do with it? He couldn't just leave it out on display; it hurt too much to look at it. But now that he had it in his hands once more he couldn't bear to pack it away somewhere it may never see the light of day again.

He leaned forward and placed it carefully on the coffee table in front of him. His fingers ran through his hair and let out a large sigh. He needed to get out the house so he got up, grabbed his coat and went for a walk.

After about ten minutes of walking he decided to buy a newspaper and stop in at his favourite coffee shop. A steaming mug of coffee and a doughnut could always make him feel a bit better. He sat down at his usual spot in the busy café and opened up the paper, a large mug of coffee in his hand. The smell of caffeine and the sound of the busy customers made him feel almost content.

Once his plate and mug were empty he decided that he had spent enough time out the house. He had reached the door and saw a woman about to enter so he held it open for her. She quickly flashed him a smile and thanked him. His breath caught in his throat. He had just spent the day thinking about her and now here she was right in front of him. It was like fate had given them a second chance. What was that old saying? If you love somebody, let them go. If they return, they were always yours. If they don't, they never were. Maybe this was the worlds way of saying that she was still his.

He turned to her and said. "Buffy?"

She faced him and her expression turned from curious to surprised. She replied to him breathlessly. "Angel."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel they belong to Joss Whedon.

Author's Note: Remember reviews keep me writing so don't forget to review! :) Also check out my profile for when my next chapter will be posted.

This chapter isn't very long but hopefully the next one will be longer. I'm not planning on making this story a very long one, maybe just a few more chapters. But don't forget to check out my other stories! I have a couple of stand-alones and one other story in progress.

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Chapter 2

They held each other's gaze for a moment before remembering that they were in a crowded café. Angel moved closer to her and out the way of the front door. He opened his mouth to say something then closed it again. He looked her over. Her beauty had not wavered over the last six years. Instead it had grown and matured. Her blond hair was still long, a bit longer than the last time he had seen it but was still the glowing gold he remembered and loved. She was dressed casually but she still looked amazing.

He wondered whether or not this was fate. After all he had just spend the day looking over his stuff from high school including the photo album he had put together and thinking of her. And here she was like magic. He decided there was no point in questioning the powers that be and instead just thanked them for giving her back to him.

Buffy was just as shocked as Angel was. She had just recently moved to LA to be closer to her mother and sister after the discovery of her mother's brain tumour and the last person she had expected to run into was Angel. The only reason she had even stopped in at this café was because it was walking distance from her house and on the route to her work. She'd had no clue that out of all the people in LA she would bump into him.

She wasn't sure what to say. He looked just as good as she remembered, better even. He had been working out; it was obvious from the increase in arm muscle. His dark hair was slightly spikey just like he always used to have it and just like she always loved it. It had been perfect for her to run her fingers through. She knew she had to say something because the silence was killing her and she thought that they probably looked rather silly just standing in the middle of the café staring at each other.

"Wow…" She started slowly. "This is…"

"Unexpected." He finished. "I know."

"Yeah." She paused for a moment. "It's been so long."

"It has. Too long."

"I can't believe that you of all people are standing in front of me right now."

"Yeah. It's crazy. Especially for me since I was just…" He stopped.

"Just what?"

"Well I was clearing out a bunch of old boxes from my attic and found one filled with stuff from high school including a photo album containing pictures of… well… us."

"Oh… well that is… weird."

"Yeah."

There was another moment of silence where neither one of them knew what to say. Angel really didn't want the conversation to end though so he decided that anything was better than nothing.

"You look great by the way. Really great." Beautiful really he thought to himself.

"Thanks. You look great too." Sexy was more the word she was thinking of.

"So do you live nearby?"

"Yeah I do. I just recently moved here actually so I was just out on a walk getting a feel for the area and this café looked nice and it isn't too far from my apartment or work so I just thought why don't I try it out and then this happened, obviously, and now I'm rambling so I'm going to shut up now." She forced out a nervous smile.

His smile was genuine however. He'd forgotten how much he missed her rambling. "It's fine, I always thought your rambling was cute. Then again you already knew that."

"Oh, yeah, I guess I'm just kinda nervous. Do you want to sit down and have something to drink or something?"

Completely ignoring the fact that he'd just had coffee Angel agreed and they sat down together. They both were pretty nervous; it was like being on a first date all over again. But after a while they're nerves calmed and they were talking like old times.

"So how long have you lived in LA then?"

"Oh about two and a half years give or take. What about you? Where were you before and why did you decide to move here now?"

"I was in New York for a couple years but Dawn is enrolled here in UCLA and my mums been a bit on the unwell side recently so I thought it would be best if I moved closer to them both so I could look after them. You know how important family is."

"I'm sorry to hear about your mum. Is she going to be okay?"

"Hopefully." Buffy paused to take a sip of her coffee then changed the subject. "So how's your family?"

Angel noticed her eagerness to change the conversation but decided to let it slide for now. "They're fine. My parents are pretty much the same, Connor is still a pain in the ass and Kathy is quickly growing into a beautiful young woman."

"Little sisters don't stay little forever, you should see how much Dawnie has changed. She's taller than me now. It's so annoying."

"Well you have always been a bit on the short side." He joked.

"Hey!" She pouted. "I'm not that small."

"You know I'm just teasing."

"Well it's not nice to tease other people. Especially those you haven't seen in about six years."

He flashed his famous half smile that always made her heart flutter. She sighed quietly, and just let him continue talking. She didn't really care too much about what he was saying, she was happy with just listening to his soothing voice. She hadn't realised just how much she missed him until now. His dark brown spikey hair, his deep seductively chocolaty brown eyes, his perfect smile. He was pure perfection wrapped up in a very sexy package. Why had they broken up? Oh yeah, don't go there Buffy, don't go there.

He stared at her intently as he kept on talking. It felt so great to be with her again. He wished so badly that they hadn't parted ways but sometimes life had other ideas. But as hard as life could be sometimes it would throw you a bone and in Angel's case that bone was Buffy. He was perfectly content just sitting with her talking for hours on end. He quickly glanced at his watch and realised that they had been talking for a good hour or so. And as much as he wanted to stay, he couldn't.

"Look Buffy, this has been so great talking and catching up and I really wish that I didn't have to leave but…"

"You do. Yeah we have been sitting here a while. I should probably be heading home too, I have a lot of unpacking still to do and I need to get organised for work tomorrow."

"I'll walk you out."

They walked out the café together and stood outside near the entrance.

"This really has been a lot of fun. Do you think that we could do it again sometime?"

"Yeah I would love to." She reached into her purse and fished out a card. "Here this has my work, home and cell number on it. Call whenever you want to get together and we can arrange something."

"Great, I will defiantly do that." A huge part of him wanted to kiss her but he thought that that would be quite inappropriate at this moment in time. So instead he put her card in his and pocket and said goodbye.

They both walked their separate ways, each with huge grin on their faces. Angel wanted to skip down the street whistling something but managed to refrain himself from doing that.

When he got home he took the card out of his pocket and placed it on his desk where he knew it wouldn't get lost. He was about to settle down for some TV when he noticed the photo album still sitting on the table he had left it on. Now when he picked it up he wasn't saddened. Instead he felt happy with the thoughts of possibly filling the album with more pictures of the two of them. He placed it carefully on his book shelf and stood back to look at it. He let the memories of him and Buffy flow through his mind. This was his second chance with her and he was going to make sure that this time their story had a happy ending.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel they belong to Joss Whedon.

Author's Note: Remember reviews keep me writing so don't forget to review! :) Also check out my profile for when my next chapter will be posted.

Sorry for this being late, I had a busy week. Also just to let you know I'm planning on the next chapter being the last one. But don't forget to check out my other stories! I have a couple of stand-alones and one other story in progress.

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Chapter 3

Angel leaned back and forward on his chair staring at the clock hoping that he could move the minute hand forward faster with the power of his mind. Unfortunately it didn't work and he found himself thinking of the phrase 'a watched pot never boils'. It seemed to apply to situation. He was stuck at work for another twenty minutes and he couldn't wait to get home. He was desperate to call Buffy. He had been turning her card over and over again in his hand all day. He checked the clock again and sighed. He noticed his friend and co-worker Gunn walking towards him.

"You look like you've been ready to pounce out that chair for the past ten minutes. What's got you so anxious to leave anyway?"

Angel grinned widely and motioned for Gunn to sit. "Since yesterday was my day off work and I didn't really have anything better to do so I decided to clear out the old unpacked boxes in my attic. I found a box full of stuff from my high school days including a photo album."

"Okay, so what?"

"Would you let me finish? I haven't got to the good part yet."

"Okay, sorry."

"Anyway the album was filled with pictures of me and Buffy."

"Your high school sweetheart?"

"Yeah."

"It must have sucked a bit to see that again."

"It did but finding that album just makes the next part of my story more interesting. So I left the house to get some fresh air and I stop in at my favourite coffee shop. Just as I was about to leave guess who I bump into?"

"A drunken celebrity? We do live in LA after all."

"No!" Angel sighed. "Buffy!"

"Seriously?"

"Yes! She was just right there in front of me. Beautiful as ever." He smiled dreamily.

"Wow man that's great! So what happened? Did you talk to each other, did you get a phone number?"

Angel took out the card he had been playing with. "Yeah we talked for a while then she gave me this and told me to call her. I really can't believe it Gunn, I feel like I've been given a second chance with her."

"Well that's great man! I've been saying that you need to have a woman in your life. I mean Nina was cute but she didn't last very long and let's not even talk about Kate." He paused and thought for a moment. "Do you have a thing for blondes or something? Cause I'm pretty sure you mentioned something about Buffy being blonde."

"She is and I don't really know. I've never really thought about it."

"So you gonna call her?"

"Of course!"

"Well then why don't you do it now? I'm sure boss won't mind."

"Well maybe I will."

"Great go ahead!"

Angel's hand hovered over the phone for a moment before he picked it up and dialled the number on the card. He decided to try the work number first since it was likely that she was still at work. It rang a couple of times before she answered.

"Hello, Buffy Summers."

"Hey Buffy, it's Angel."

"Oh Angel hi! You called."

"Well I promised I would didn't I?" Angel glanced at Gunn who was giving him thumbs up. "So I was wondering if you were busy tonight."

"Tonight? Give me a second." There was silence for a moment. "Yeah tonight's fine. Did you have something in mind?"

"Yes actually I did."

"Are you going to tell me what?"

"Nope."

She let out a small chuckle. "You're still Mr cryptic I see."

"Me? Cryptic? Never." That made her laugh more and he smiled. He loved her laugh. "Is seven okay?"

"Yeah. Let me give you my address."

Angel wrote down her address, hung up then let out a deep breath he didn't even know he had been holding. Gunn gave him a high five.

"So you got a date tonight. Where are you planning on taking her?"

"I have a couple of ideas."

"She was right. You are Mr cryptic."

Angel just smirked.

Gunn shock his head. He had gotten used to this from Angel. "So what happened between you two anyway? The break up couldn't have been that bad if you're both so ready to get together again."

"Well breaking up was hard but it didn't leave any bad feelings between us. It was a mutual thing I guess." Angel sighed. He hated bringing up these memories but if he wanted to try again with Buffy then he would have to face them eventually. "I'm older than Buffy but a bit over a year so in high school I was in the year above her. He met starting dating and eventually fell in love. We were together for over two years. But then it came time for me to go to college. I didn't think I'd be accepted to the one I wanted to go to, far away from Sunnydale where we lived but I was. I was left with a choice, go to the college of my dreams and leave Buffy or go somewhere else and stay with her. I was more than ready to choose the latter but she wouldn't allow that. She said she couldn't live with herself if she knew she was the reason I didn't go. So I did. We tried to keep in touch at first but the distance was too great. It just… couldn't work."

Gunn, who had been listening to Angel's story intently, let out a deep breath. "Wow man. That must have really sucked. I couldn't imagine having to leave someone I really loved behind."

"It hurt and I don't think I ever really got over it. She was the one that got away, my what if. But now things are different. She's back in my life and that can't possibly be a coincidence. This is my second chance and I'm not gonna let it get away. I let her go once; I won't let that happen again."

"You really still care so much about her."

"I do. I don't think I ever stopped."

When it was time for him to leave work Angel rushed home to get ready. He was excited but nervous at the same time. He wasn't sure if Buffy had fully moved on or if she had gotten stuck in the past like him. But it didn't matter; he wasn't going to let her get away.

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"What about this?" Buffy asked holding a short light pink summer dress. "Do you think this'll do?"

Dawn sighed, sat up on the bed and inspected the dress. "It's perfect Buffy. You'll look great in it."

"You said that about the last four outfits!"

"That's because they were all fine!" Dawn groaned. "Buffy relax! It doesn't matter what you wear you'll look fine."

Buffy thumped down on her bed. "I don't want fine Dawnie! I want beautiful, I want gorgeous, I want something that will make him speechless!" She sighed and threw the dress on the pile of discarded clothes. "I want something that will impress him."

Dawn put her hand on her sister's shoulder. "Buffy it doesn't matter what you wear. Angel never cared about your clothes before. He thought you were beautiful no matter what. What makes you think that will be any different now?"

"I don't know. I just want this night to go well."

"I'm sure it will. Now you go fix your hair and makeup and I'll pick out something for you to wear."

Buffy nodded her head and went over to her mirror to do her makeup while Dawn rummaged through her closet.

"See that pink dress. Could I borrow it for a party next weekend?"

"Only if you promise that you won't get stains all over it."

"I never get stains on anything!"

"Oh yeah what about that yellow shirt you borrowed from me that I found in the wash covered in pizza sauce?"

"Okay except from that time."

Buffy sighed at her sister and shook her head. Dawn came through holding a red halter top and a black knee length pencil skirt.

"Here, you're wearing this and Angel will love it."

"Thanks for your help Dawn."

"Anytime." She throw herself back onto Buffy's bed and lay down. "So Angel huh. I still can't believe you're going out with him again. It's like fate. You move to the same city where Angel lives and go to the same coffee shop he goes to. It has to be fate! You two were meant to be. And it will be nice to see you happy again. You were always so happy with him. When he left you moped around the house for months. It was really depressing."

"Yeah thanks for that little memory Dawn."

"Sorry, but it's true. You really loved him." She paused, unsure if she should ask the next question. "How do you feel about him now? I mean you never really seemed to get over him leaving but you've dated a couple guys since him so doesn't that mean you did get over him?"

"I may have started dating again but that doesn't mean I got over him. My feelings for him they never went away, they were always there. The truth is I thought Angel and I were going to be together forever but obviously that didn't work out too well. But now that can be different. Maybe we can be together again. I just don't know how he feels."

"Well he was the one who called and asked you out so there must be some feelings still there, right?"

"I hope so."

* * *

The second hand on the clock slowly ticked past seven. There was a knock on Buffy's apartment door. Dawn knew Buffy was finishing her hair so she rushed to the door. She opened it and Angel was standing there in a dark navy shirt, black jacket and black pants. Dawn couldn't help herself from checking him out. When her sister had been dating Angel before she was still a bit too young to understand the attraction of guys but she did now and even though he was there for her sister she could still appreciate his good looks and nice body.

"Angel! Lovely to see you again." She greeted cheerily. "Come on in."

"Thanks Dawn. It's nice to see you too." Angel was surprised when Dawn answered the door. A part of him couldn't believe that Buffy's little sister was all grown up. "You're a lot taller."

"Well it has been, what, six years since you last saw me."

"Yeah I guess so. Is Buffy nearly ready?"

"Yup. She's just messing around with her hair. So that gives us the perfect opportunity to talk."

Angel was confused. "Talk? Okay, about what?"

Dawn crossed her arms across her chest and looked Angel square in the eyes. "What are your intentions with my sister?"

Angel raised his eyebrow, even more confused than before. "My intentions?"

"Yes. When you and my sister broke up all those years ago it devastated her. And I know that wasn't your fault but I don't want to see that happen to her again. So, are you going to answer my question?"

"I promise that the last thing I want to do is to hurt Buffy again. I still care for her deeply and I really want this second chance with her."

"Right answer."

"Thank you."

Buffy came through the door and Angel and Dawn turned to her. There was a moment of silence.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"No we were just catching up." She pushed her sister towards Angel then both of them to the door. "So have a great night you two and don't be out too late."

Buffy and Angel found themselves outside Buffy's apartment standing in the corridor.

Angel turned to Buffy. "You look really great by the way."

"Thanks! So do you." She wrapped her hand round Angel's arm. "So, where are we going tonight?"

"Follow me."


End file.
